oh, what a foolish thing to do. to take a bullet for the one you love so dearly. but, had it all been worth it? had it been worth the pain? had it been worth making them both worry? had it been worth it all? kat thought that it had been worth it. thought that it was a brave decision. a smart decision, in fact. if it meant giving up their own life to protect bucky, then that was what they would do. anything to ensure he got the chance to continue this new life of his. he had never gotten the chance to truly live after hydra and all of the experiments. but, now? now, he was doing things on his own terms. he was fighting for the right side. he was happy and free and most importantly of all: he was loved. so much. oh, how much they loved him. so much, in fact, that it hurt sometimes. but, wasn’t that how things were supposed to work?
“i’m sorry.” their words are soft, gentle, barely above a whisper as bucky clutches them close. there’s a little rattling cough before they spit out some blood, a gentle bloodstained grin. “would it be ironic of me to sing a little fall of rain right now?” one hand reached out, gently traced against his cheekbone for a moment, before it dropped a second later. “don’t you fret, m’sieur marius… i don’t feel any pain. a little fall of rain, can hardly hurt me now.” laughter comes a moment later, though they know this is no joking matter. “i’m sorry. i was just trying to lighten the mood.” they hurt. everywhere. they weren’t used to fighting in such capacities, but this was their life now. for better or for worse. “shh, shh. it’s okay. i’m okay. we’re okay.” eyes close, perhaps a moment too long and bucky lightly shakes them awake.
“sleepy.” a yawn follows, though they make no move to not get closer to him. even as he carries them into the backseat of the car. sam is driving as fast as he can, plowing past red lights only when it’s safe. “just… hold me now… and let it be. shelter me, comfort me.” words are mumbled, muffled even, as they drag their self flush against the male. it doesn’t seem like bucky minds the blood at all, or perhaps he does, even if he doesn’t speak on it. “warm.” eyes close once more, this time for even longer, before they shake their head slightly. “gotta… gotta stay awake…” words are muffled as nose buries into the crook of his neck.
“rain makes flowers grow.” gentle grin, even with bloodstained teeth. “from little… little sproutlings to big and fruitful. it’s a full circle thing.” kat shifts, spits out some blood, a low apology to sam for getting blood on the seats. “‘m so sleepy, bee.” another yawn, though they have to remind their self to stay awake. “dunno if i can stay awake much longer.” even with bucky’s hands applying added pressure, there’s still a lot of blood spilling from them. truthfully, they’re afraid. but, they don’t want to worry him any further than they already have.
RAGE. RAGE. RAGE. RAGE. who knew he could feel such rage like this? he hadn't felt rage like this since ... well, since those days. inwardly, he was swearing up a storm. he was cursing sharon for such a thing. it was one thing to target him, to try to harm him. but, it was another thing to bring harm to the one he loved so. he swore that he would hunt sharon down after this and remind her of why she had once been hunting him down. remind her why he had once been the biggest threat to all of shield and hydra combined. there was no time to dwell on that fiery rage right now, he needed to focus his attention ... and focus he did when kat spoke up again.
there's a grimace when they spit out some blood, but eyes roll slightly when they begin to sing a little fall of rain. "not funny, katerina." the words are rough, but right to the point as he shakes his head. he leans into their touch, melts against them when their fingers brush against his cheekbone. lips press against each digit one by one until their hand drops down again. there's so much running through his mind. a shot like this could be lethal. not just lethal, but deadly as well. "hey, come on. need you to stay awake for me, alright? we're almost there." his words are to the point and he welcomes their warmth as they curl up against him.
"right, i figured that was why you loved the rain so much. explains why you run out into a storm without a care in the world." bucky knows their tired, knows how hard they're fighting to stay awake and he is so thankful for it. "i know, baby doll. but, we need you to stay awake until we get to the hospital, okay? you're being real brave and you're so strong. you're gonna be just fine." bucky glances out the window momentarily, watching sam come to a screeching halt in front of the emergency room entrance. there's a few nurses and doctors waiting with a stretcher already, sam had called in a favor. bucky will be sure to thank him later.
bucky carefully removes kat from the backseat, lays them across the stretcher, and follows beside them as he holds onto one of their hands. the grip is weak, but he holds on still. "stay with us, you hear me? don't you leave me." his words come out in a rush and doctors and nurses have to usher him away from the area once they take kat back to surgery. to bucky's chagrin, he backs off, allowing them to do their job as sam tries his best to keep him calm. but, it's easier said than done. there's a lot of pacing and anxious glances and angrily arguing with nurses who he knows aren't at fault. but, who can really blame him for acting this way?